Bridge construction moving forward

Collin Norris, 13, casts a line while fishing off the bridge over Laird Bayou Tuesday as Bob Kuchta fishes behind him. Norris said he spends almost every day in the bayou, and Kuchta said it was his first attempt from that location. Bay County Commissioners are considering replacing the bridge.

Heather Leiphart | The News Herald

By Zack McDonald / The News Herald

Published: Tuesday, October 30, 2012 at 09:16 PM.

CALLAWAY — A life-line for hundreds of Eastern Shipbuilding employees could go under construction within the year.

Around 60 people attended the Bay County Commission’s public information meeting about replacing the causeway over Laird Bayou (Cooks Bayou) on County Road C.R. 2297. The face-to-face meeting with planners was held in the
East
Bay
Park
Community Center
, adjacent to the bridge and future site of construction.

According a project description,
Bay
County
plans to begin construction fall 2013. Improvements include removing the existing causeway and box culverts and providing a new, two-lane bridge across Cooks Bayou.

Traffic engineering manager of
Bay
County
, Keith Bryant, said the bridge, the only route for the … vehicles that traverse the bayou, would maintain as a passage for traffic during construction, with no offset. In order for traffic flow to go undisturbed the bridge will undergo “staged construction.”

Engineers from Volkert Inc., planners of the project, to attendees the process.

“What we’ve proposed to do is build two 12-foot lanes with two 10-foot shoulders for traffic control,” said Russell Howell, assistant vice president with Volkert and project manager. “We construct 30 feet of [the proposed bridge], shift traffic from the existing bridge, remove the existing enbankment and then we can complete construction. With this we are going to maintain keeping the existing roadway open during construction.”

CALLAWAY — A life-line for hundreds of Eastern Shipbuilding employees could go under construction within the year.

Around 60 people attended the Bay County Commission’s public information meeting about replacing the causeway over Laird Bayou (Cooks Bayou) on County Road C.R. 2297. The face-to-face meeting with planners was held in the EastBayParkCommunity Center, adjacent to the bridge and future site of construction.

According a project description, BayCounty plans to begin construction fall 2013. Improvements include removing the existing causeway and box culverts and providing a new, two-lane bridge across Cooks Bayou.

Traffic engineering manager of BayCounty, Keith Bryant, said the bridge, the only route for the … vehicles that traverse the bayou, would maintain as a passage for traffic during construction, with no offset. In order for traffic flow to go undisturbed the bridge will undergo “staged construction.”

Engineers from Volkert Inc., planners of the project, to attendees the process.

“What we’ve proposed to do is build two 12-foot lanes with two 10-foot shoulders for traffic control,” said Russell Howell, assistant vice president with Volkert and project manager. “We construct 30 feet of [the proposed bridge], shift traffic from the existing bridge, remove the existing enbankment and then we can complete construction. With this we are going to maintain keeping the existing roadway open during construction.”

The construction is proposed to start north of Bay Vista Road and end south of Poston Road, according to a Commission project location map. Construction operations within the limits of the project are not restricted and will maintain two lanes of traffic where possible with work zone speeds of 30 mph. At no time will the road be completely closed and access to properties and commercial reas south of the project site will remain open, stated the “potential traffic impacts” from BayCounty.

Other residents had concerns about the clearance of the bridge.

“One gentleman told me he has to crouch down in his boat to go under the current two- to three-foot clearance at low tide,” Howell said. “The new bridge will have a six- to eight-foot clearance.”

The existing box culverts were constructed in 1965 and are now structurally deficient as the causeway has continued settlement.

A final cost estimate is not complete at this phase, according to Howell.

“We’re only at about 60 percent in the preparation phase,” Howell said. “We’re just looking at issues or any concerns from the community right now and going from there.”

Comment sheets distributed during the public information meeting can be mailed no later than Nov., 13.